


he's got particular taste

by milkywei



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Fluff, Gen, HQrarepairweek2020, M/M, seijoh 3rd years best managers, seijoh please give yahaba a break
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-27
Updated: 2020-04-27
Packaged: 2021-03-01 20:55:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,416
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23873536
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/milkywei/pseuds/milkywei
Summary: Yahaba Shigeru prides himself in knowing the names and favourite items of all of the regulars at the Blue Castle cafe. But there is one particular regular that he has never seen before. Is he even a regular? How can he let that atrocious haircut slip past his memory? He will get to knowing this customer immediately!In which Yahaba attempts to find a new favourite item for Shirabu despite his peculiar taste buds.
Relationships: Shirabu Kenjirou/Yahaba Shigeru
Comments: 9
Kudos: 50





	he's got particular taste

**Author's Note:**

> this work is part of [HQ Rare Pair Week 2020](https://twitter.com/HQRareWeek2020)!
> 
>  **day 1** affinity | coffee shop | ~~fake dating/engagement/marriage!AU~~

The Blue Castle is a quaint cafe located at the corner of a street connected to several high schools and the local university. It has been almost a year and a half since Yahaba started working as a barista there and to be very honest, he never expected that he would still be here. After dropping out of university and disappointing his dear mother, he was desperate to get a job and not bum around at home.

Fortunately for him, he was in contact with his college senior who was opening a cafe and thank goodness for his sucking up skills because Oikawa was flattered enough to give him a job.

He should have asked for more details on what type of cafe it was because he did not expect to be rendered speechless by there only being men working in the cafe.

“Ah! If it’s not my cute kouhai, Yahaba-chan!” Oikawa had called out. “See, Makki? He fits the image of the cafe quite well, doesn’t he?”

Makki, or  _ Hanamaki  _ as his nametag says in cursive font, a tall barista with strawberry-coloured cropped hair, gave Yahaba a once over.

“Hmm.. He looks like a cream puff,” he replied. His comment stunned Yahaba because  _ never had he been compared to a cream puff before? Was that a good thing or not? _

“But I guess you know what our customers like,” Hanamaki continued, popping a cream puff into his mouth (Yahaba did not know why but he involuntarily shuddered). “You are the boss after all,  _ Oikawa-san _ .”

Oikawa grinned and threw a uniform to Yahaba’s direction. “Come on, Yahaba-chan. We gotta get that face to work!”

So that was how Yahaba got a job at an  _ ikemen  _ cafe. Up until now, he is still not sure whether Oikawa intentionally hired only handsome men to work at his cafe. While it still feels like he is working at any regular cafe, he can tell that this cafe has a  _ specific  _ customer demographic. It is not rare to see high school girls and female university students fill up the tables and giggle as they are served by the ever-charming baristas. 

Oikawa makes it a requirement that every barista should also be capable of hosting as well as handling the bar. Yahaba guesses that is why the Blue Castle is so popular and he is thankful that he took that Charisma 101 course before he dropped out of university.

He knows every single regular that comes into their cafe and he takes pride in knowing their favourite items from the cafe. He is after all personally trained by Oikawa himself and Oikawa is well-loved by all the customers because he makes all of them feel special. 

Yahaba knows the junior high school teacher,  _ Akita-san _ , who often sits at the table near the window to grade her papers with a coffee cream puff by the side. He also knows the two high school girls,  _ Kisa-chan and Sakura-chan _ , who like to study with two plates of raspberry cream puffs and catch glimpses of Oikawa as well as the old man,  _ Uehara-san _ , who comes by everyday to have a matcha cream puff and a cup of brewed coffee for breakfast while he reads the morning paper and chats with the staff on shift.

Which is why he is appalled when he sees a customer he is not familiar with sitting at the very corner of the bar area, hunched over a laptop.  He thinks that he would definitely remember a customer with  _ a haircut like that _ . The young man has flat sandy brown hair with asymmetrical bangs framing his face. 

It is telling when a customer comes over quite often. Each customer is given a loyalty card when they visit the cafe and it gets chopped on each visit. After 5 visits, they are able to get a complementary serving of the Blue Castle’s popular cream puffs.

And this customer has a plate of a half-eaten strawberry cream puff beside his laptop.

Today Yahaba is working a shift with his manager Matsukawa and a younger part-timer Kindaichi. As he ties the apron around his waist, he eyes the customer curiously and he receives a look from his younger colleague. “Yahaba-senpai, you look like you’re trying to emit psychic waves or something…” Kindaichi comments.

“Kindaichi, he has one of our cream puffs but how come I’ve never even seen him before?” Yahaba laments. “Did I miss him out by accident? How can I not know who he is??”

“Chill kiddo,” Matsukawa tells him, slinging an arm around his shoulder. “He always comes by at night so you wouldn’t have met him. He’s a quiet guy too, always orders quickly so he can hide at the corner with his laptop.”

“I’m gonna talk to him,” Yahaba declares.

His manager raises an eyebrow. “Did you even listen to my description of him?”

Matsukawa and Kindaichi watch with their mouths agape as Yahaba marches over to the customer. “He’s really an overachiever, isn’t he?” Kindaichi whispers to Matsukawa.

“Tell me about it,” Matsukawa mutters back.

Yahaba places his arm on the counter and leans slightly towards the customer. “Hey there!” he greets cheerily.

The customer looks up from his laptop and Yahaba meets his hazel eyes. He almost falters because  _ damn despite that atrocious haircut, he is actually quite good looking _ but he stays professional and keeps the smile on his face. “I see that you’ve eaten one of our special cream puffs,” Yahaba continues. “It’s exclusive only to our most loyal customers! How do you find the taste of it?”

The customer pushes his half-eaten cream puff towards Yahaba. “It’s a nice gesture but… I actually don’t really enjoy it,” he replies.

Yahaba feels like he has been stabbed in the gut. How can this customer not like their special cream puffs? It is the hook that makes their customers keep coming back (other than the  _ ikemen  _ at their cafe).

“I’m sorry!” the customer quickly apologises. “It’s just that I don’t really like sweet things...”

_ How tragic! _ Yahaba thinks. “Well, that won’t do! There has to be something here that you like to make you come back again,” he says to the customer. “Do you like our coffee then?”

The customer shakes his head. “I don’t like the taste of coffee.”

Yahaba gasps. “Then what do you usually order from the counter?”

“I just get any of the teas,” the customer replies.

_ But their teas are so regular _ , Yahaba thinks. They literally use a brand of tea that is available at the supermarket. “Why are you even here?” he asks.

The customer chews on his lip. “Well, to be honest, I’m only here when there are empty seats. There’s always empty seats at night so I’ve been coming here to study.”

That is the final blow to Yahaba, who cannot believe that there is a regular who does not have any favourites from their cafe.  _ He cannot accept this _ .

“I cannot accept this,” he tells the customer, who blinks at him with wide eyes. “I’m not gonna let you sit here and not have a favourite item from our cafe. What’s your name?”

“Um… Shirabu Kenjirou,” the customer replies.

“Shirabu-san, I’ll make sure that you have a favourite item that you look forward to next time you come to our cafe!” Yahaba declares, walking back to the bar just as an order comes in.

“Overachiever,” Matsukawa hums as Yahaba rolls up his sleeves and prepares to make the orders.

* * *

Shirabu, as it turns out, does not like many things. Matcha is too bitter for him, caramel is too sweet, he does not have the tongue for chai and he claims that chocolate has a weird aftertaste.

Yahaba pulls at his hair.  _ How can he not like chocolate too?! _

“You know, I’m okay with just getting tea every time I’m here,” Shirabu tells him when Yahaba has once again failed to get Shirabu to say that he likes something from the menu.

“But that’s not what we’re known for!” Yahaba retorts.

It is a late weekday night and Shirabu has once again come in to take a seat at the bar area. This time, he has taken a seat where Yahaba can easily turn to talk to him from inside the bar instead of having to walk to the other end. Shirabu always has too many textbooks with him, using two to prop his laptop on as a third lays open in front of him. 

From the many times he has seen Shirabu after that fateful first, Yahaba learns that Shirabu is studying medicine at the local university. He is currently in his third year, similar to Yahaba if he had not chosen to drop out. Shirabu always orders a large cup of tea, with two tea bags in his mug and steaming hot to warm his cold hands as he studies. He takes his tea without any sugar or sweetener and he leaves his tea bags to steep for the longest time in the hot water because he really does not order anything else.

Yahaba gets him to try every single flavour of cream puff that is available in their cafe because  _ this just cannot be. He has to at least like something, right? _

But Shirabu always shakes his head after taking one bite. “These cream puffs really just aren’t for me,” Shirabu says, pushing the plate of vanilla bean cream puff towards Yahaba.

“I’m unconvinced that there is simply  _ nothing  _ that you like about our cafe,” the barista mutters.

Shirabu shrugs, closing his laptop as he is done studying for the night. “Well, I suppose I really like the atmosphere here. It’s a really conducive place to study. I feel very prepared for my exam next week.”

Yahaba looks a bit disheartened. “Does this mean that you won’t be coming back after your exam?”

Shirabu is looking at him with an unreadable expression. “Do you want me to?”

“I don’t think you would enjoy our cafe so much if there is nothing you like on our menu…” Yahaba says to him and Shirabu frowns.

He can tell that Shirabu is trying his best to come up with a reply that would not disappoint him but he just pouts. “I’m sorry,” he honestly says, giving Yahaba an apologetic look.

Yahaba wishes him good luck for his exams and watches as Shirabu walks out of the cafe, perhaps for the last time ever. He sighs and dejectedly continues his closing tasks for the day.

“I still can’t believe that he does not like our cream puffs,” Hanamaki says in disbelief.

“It’s a wonder that he’s held out for this long,” Matsukawa comments. He is not on shift tonight, only here to pester Hanamaki, and the both of them have been observing Yahaba’s interactions with Shirabu. “Please tell me you at least got something out of all that time you spent on him.”

Yahaba raises an eyebrow. “Obviously I still couldn’t get him to like anything from our menu.”

“His number, Yahaba,” Hanamaki spells out for him. “Please tell us he at least gave you his number.”

The barista’s eyes widen in response. “W-What? Why would he give me his number?”

Hanamaki groans into his hands as Matsukawa laughs with his whole chest. “I told you guys that he wouldn’t even notice it,” the taller manager chortles. “You and Tooru owe me and Hajime a week off.”

“Oi, Yahaba! How can you not notice that loppy bowl cut boy has a crush on you?!” Hanamaki chides.

“What do you mean he has a crush on me?” Yahaba gasps in shock. “He’s always looking at his books and his laptop.”

“But he doesn’t tell you off when you pester him to try stuff that he obviously doesn’t like,” Matsukawa points out to him. 

“Y-yeah… But maybe he just wants to try something new,” Yahaba reasons.

“Kiddo, he always gets chamomile tea,” Hanamaki grumbles. “That’s the safest choice of tea and it can literally be bought anywhere. He’s not adventurous at all.”

Yahaba looks at both his managers in shock. He still does not  _ see  _ what they both mean but suddenly he remembers Shirabu’s response when he had asked if he was going to come back again after his exams ended.

Shirabu had asked him if he wanted him to.

_ Oh.  _

Shirabu was asking if Yahaba wanted to see him again.

“Does that face mean that he finally gets it?” Hanamaki whispers to Matsukawa.

“It better be,” Matsukawa mutters.

* * *

The next few days Yahaba comes to work with a gloomy grey cloud over his head. He serves customers with a practiced smile on his face but he does not engage in conversation with them as he always does.

“Yahaba-chan, this can’t do,” Oikawa says, arms folded to his chest. “You seem so lifeless and you’re not talking to the customers at all. Are you sure you’re okay to work?”

“I’m sorry, Oikawa-san. I’ll do better to make the customers stay,” Yahaba tells him, feeling a bit disappointed in himself.

Oikawa sighs and puts down his arms. “You know, Yahaba-chan. It’s alright if a customer ends up not liking any of the things on our menu even after we’ve recommended things to them,” Oikawa tells him. “But the most important thing is that we’ve tried to build a connection with them. And if they don’t feel the same way, it’s alright. We can always build connections with other people.”

Yahaba looks at Oikawa, who is nodding to himself, as if proud for coming up with something so wise. “But I really want to see him again,” Yahaba mumbles, more to himself.

His manager shrugs. “If he feels the connection, he’ll come back.”

_ He’ll come back.  _ Yahaba really hopes he will.

The week after, both the high school and the local university are on their semester break. The cafe is even busier as it welcomes more customers, mostly giggling girls who are hoping to catch a glimpse of the  _ ikemen  _ working at the cafe. 

Today Yahaba is on shift with Iwaizumi, Kindaichi and Kunimi. Their popular cream puffs are running low with many regular customers returning to get their fill. Iwaizumi puts Yahaba at the till as he is the only one who is fervent at chatting up customers. Kindaichi is terribly shy and Kunimi is terribly cynical.

“Thank you, Kaori-chan! I hope your crush appreciates the food that you’re buying for him!” Yahaba grins to the bashful high-schooler as he passes her the receipt.

“You seem brighter today,” Iwaizumi comments as Yahaba rearranges the food in the pastry case.

“We have so many customers today!” Yahaba exclaims. “I’m just happy to get to know more regulars.”

“Only Yahaba-senpai gets excited about stuff like this,” Kunimi mutters as he half-heartedly pours his steamed milk into a mug for a latte, not even caring about the latte art.

Iwaizumi laughs as he pats Yahaba’s back. “Glad to see you back to your cheery self.”

Yahaba smiles and his ears perk up as he hears the door open and someone walking in.

“Oh, this is interesting,” Kindaichi comments, looking at the customer who has just walked in.

Yahaba stands up straight and wipes his hands on his apron before looking up at the customer. “Hi! Wel- Shirabu?”

The university student is standing before him, hair still in the same terrible haircut and eyes still as pretty as Yahaba remembers them to be. Today Shirabu is not carrying his regular messenger bag where he stuffs his laptop and medical textbooks. Instead, he only has a small bag which would probably only fit his wallet and phone.

“Hello, Yahaba,” Shirabu greets. “It’s been awhile.”

“It really has,” Yahaba replies, a bit breathless because he is still in shock that Shirabu is back in the cafe after two weeks. “Are you getting chamomile tea again today?”

Shirabu shakes his head, much to Yahaba’s surprise. “Actually, I think I finally found my favourite item in the cafe.”

“Really? What is it?” Yahaba asks, eyes glinting with excitement. He is really curious and excited to know that Shirabu has finally found something that he likes in the cafe.  _ This means that he will keep coming back! _

“Um… It’s actually not on the menu,” Shirabu tells him.

Yahaba looks confused. “Oh? You tasted stuff that is not on the menu?”

(He thinks he hears Iwaizumi snort from behind him.)

“I got the pleasure of talking to him,” Shirabu says with flushed cheeks. “Uhh.. It’s actually you, Yahaba. You’re my favourite thing about this cafe.”

Yahaba stares at Shirabu, speechless for the first time in his life. The hazel-eyed boy looks at him with worry but he manages to snap back into his senses after Iwaizumi smacks his back.

“Uhh…..” Yahaba replies intelligently.

“Hey, Yahaba. Do you maybe wanna go for your break so you and Shirabu can chat?” Iwaizumi asks.

Yahaba blinks. “Uhh…..”

“Oh my god, we get it you’re in love. Just leave and sort out your feelings for each other,” Kunimi grumbles, pulling at the string of Yahaba’s apron to take it off and pushing him out of the employees only area.

Shirabu chuckles and herds Yahaba out of the cafe.

(“Kunimi, I think you owe me 1,000 yen,” he hears Kindaichi say to Kunimi, who lets out an exasperated groan while Iwaizumi laughs loudly.)

Yahaba twiddles with his thumbs as they both sit at a bench just behind the building of the cafe. Despite Kunimi kicking them out to ‘sort out their feelings’, they actually have not said a word to one another.

“How was your exam?” Yahaba finally asks.

Shirabu hums. “It was okay. There were a few questions that I wasn’t sure about but I think I’ll do decently.”

“You should have told me off if I was being a bother,” Yahaba mumbles. “Sometimes I get really fixated on something and I just get a bit too aggressive...”

“Just a bit?” Shirabu raises an eyebrow.

“Okay,  _ very _ aggressive,” Yahaba corrects himself.

“Honestly, you weirded me out at first,” Shirabu admits with a chuckle. “I was minding my own business and suddenly you came over and talked to me. I thought if I said that I didn’t like anything you would give up but you were so determined to try and find something for me to like that it’s really endearing.”

Yahaba’s eyes widen at what Shirabu has just said. “So you don’t really dislike our cream puffs?”

Shirabu laughs. “Well, I still don’t particularly like sweet things.”

“But I think I’ll indulge in your sweetness,” he adds, his cheeks tinted pink.

The barista feels the heat on his face and he thinks Shirabu is snickering at how badly he is blushing.

“So, will you go out with me?” the hazel-eyed boy asks with the softest smile on his face.

* * *

**GROUP CHAT**

Seijoh Soap Opera: Yahaba-chan’s love life!  Σ>―(〃°ω°〃)♡→

**MAKKI** has added  **yahabub** **☆** to the chat

**MAKKI** **:** any bets on how long yahaba’s relationship with loppy bowl cut boy will last?

**mattsun** **(•ิ ､•ิ)** **:** call

**Oikawa! ☆ﾐ :** CALL!!!!

**Yuwutaro** **:** Call!

**yahabub** **☆** **:** what

**Iwaizumi Hajime** **:** Call

**kunimimi** **:** call

**Watacchi!! ٩(ˊ〇ˋ*)و** **:** call!!!!

**Yahabub** **☆** **:** hello what??????

**MAKK** **I:** ok who thinks 6 months max

**Oikawa! ☆** ﾐ: 6 months??? Makki you’re underestimating our Yahaba-chan!

**Oikawa! ☆ﾐ :** I’d say at least a year! Yahaba-chan is very persistent ヾ(￣ω￣; )

**MAKKI** **:** 1 year is too much boss pls

****mattsun** **(•ิ ､•ิ)** : **you’re overestimating yahaba

**mattsun** **(•ิ ､•ิ)** **:** 9 months

**kunimimi** **:** please loppy bowl cut boy is too smart for him yahaba probably wouldn't know if they're breaking up

**Yuwutaro** **:** HAHAHAHAHHAHA

**MAKKI** **:** kunimi omg

**Oikawa! ☆** ﾐ: LOOOOOOL

**Watacchi!! ٩(ˊ〇ˋ*)و** : nice kill kunimi!!!

**yahabub☆** **:** I’M RIGHT HERE???

**yahabub** **☆** **:** and i know his hair is terrible but he has a name!!! (＃`Д´)

**kunimimi** **:** 7 months

**Yuwutaro** **:** I think 5 months

**Watacchi!! ٩(ˊ〇ˋ*)و** **:** i’m betting 8 months :P

**Iwaizumi Hajime** **:** Hahaha

**Iwaizumi Hajime** **:** I think 10

**Oikawa! ☆** ﾐ: Wow Iwa-chan has so much faith!

**Iwaizumi Hajime** **:** Weeks.

**Oikawa! ☆** ﾐ: (￣‿￣ l|l)

**yahabub** **☆** **:** IWAIZUMI SENPAI :(((

**kkentaro** **:** i agree with iwaizumi senpai

**kunimimi** **:** lol a wild kyoutani appeared

**Yuwutaro** **:** djfdskfdsd

**yahabub** **☆** **:** KYOUTANI YOU’RE STANDING NEXT TO ME HOW COULD YOU???

**kkentaro** **:** how about you stop texting loppy bowl cut boy and HELP ME WITH THESE DRINKS

**MAKKI** **:** LMAOOOOOOOOO

**Iwaizumi Hajime** **:** Hiro, get your ass to work too. You’re the Manager on Duty.

**MAKKI** **:** oops soz boss 2

**mattsun** **(•ิ ､•ิ)** **:** oh damn hahaha

**Author's Note:**

> title taken from shawn mendes' particular taste
> 
> this is supposed to be a _yahaba meets the coffeeshop!au boy of his dreams_ fic but it ends up becoming a _yahaba gets made fun of by seijoh _fic ; w ; it's alright he'll just complain to shirabu about his annoying colleagues__
> 
> _  
> _hit me up on twitter @miyaagiboys if you wanna chat! i promise i won't bite (*ﾉωﾉ)_  
>  _


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